Rabbi against Beatification of Pope

Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen became the first rabbi to address a synod of Catholic bishops on Monday. He came out against the beatification of Pope Pius XII, saying: “he should not be seen as a model and he should not be beatified because he did not raise his voice against the Holocaust.” Rabbi Cohen, chief rabbi of Haifa, said he is not empowered by the families of the victims to forgive and forget. Although the Pope may have made quiet attempts to save Jews, a public pronouncement against the genocide may have influenced world events.